Readers’ Diesels – March 2017

Mods and more.

GMC Truce
Year/Make/Model: ’39 GMC
Owner: David Hale
Hometown: Mancos, Colorado
Engine: 5.9L Cummins I-6
Transmission: Mopar three-speed automatic with overdrive
Odometer: 200 miles
Fuel Economy: 23.5 mpg
Modifications: ’39 GMC truck cab on a ’90 Chevrolet 1-ton chassis, 5.9L Cummins 6BT engine mated to a Mopar three-speed automatic transmission with overdrive, custom engine and transmission mounts, narrower cab and chassis axle, and handmade bed
Owner says: “My son Dustin and I started this project in our shop. After long hours of welding, cutting, sanding, wrenching, and painting, we ended up with one of the sharpest-looking, nicest running ’39 GMC trucks in Southwest Colorado. After the truck was completed, it was entered into a couple of local car and truck shows, and it won First Place in its class. The engine, transmission, and differential combination make this truck drive almost as well as a new truck on the streets and highways.”

The Beast
Year/Make/Model: ’02 Ford F-250
Owner: Vaughn McDaniel Jr.
Hometown: Covington, Louisiana
Engine: 7.3L Power Stroke V-8
Transmission: 4R100 four-speed automatic
Odometer: 117,255 miles
Fuel Economy: 17.5 mpg
Modifications: Leveling kit, Edge Products programmer, 4-inch turbo-back exhaust, intake heater delete, AFE Power Stage 2 cold-air intake system, and 35-inch Nitto tires
Owner says: “This is my first personal 7.3L-powered truck. The others I’ve driven were work trucks with 300,000 to 400,000 miles on them. My 12-year-old son has helped me with the truck since we drove her 2,100 miles from California. We have towed anything that would fit on the ball. The only thing the truck misses out on is the mud, but my son promises it will be muddy one day very soon (he will clean it after). We love our truck and plan on keeping it for life.”